Collapsible or folding perambulator, cot, and other articles



47- R. LENTHALL 2,425,195

GOLLAPSIBLE 0R FOLDING PERAMBULATORL cow, AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Jan. 7, 1946 2 Shets-Sh'eet 1 Aug. 5, 1947; I 'R. LENTHALL 25,195

coLLArsIBLE 0R FOLDING PERAMBULATQR, co'i', AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Jan. 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A tlomeya;

latented Aug. 5, 1947 2,425,195 COLLAPSIBLE on FOLDING .PERAMBU- LATOR,

COT, AND OTHER ARTICLES Robert Lenthall, London, England, assignor to turing Company Limite The Scholl Manufac London, England Application January 7, 1946, SerialNo. 639,625 7 In GreatBritain January'fi, 1945 v 3 Claims. (o1; Law-f n- (Granted under the provisions ofsec. 14,-act of March 2, 1927; 357IQ- G- 5) This invention relates to collapsible or folding perambulators, cots, baths and other articles, the object being to provide a frame such that, when the article is collapsed or folded, it is compact and easily carried and, When ready for use,'will be firmly locked in open position.

According to the invention the frame of a collapsible or folding article of the kind comprising two pairs of members, each of substantially U- shape, pivoted to oppositely disposed plates or blocks and movable into substantially parallel relationship side by side for transport, has the members of one pair adapted to turn down into downwardly and outwardly inclined positions, limited by stops, to form a base and the members of the other pair adapted to be turned apart and locked in angular relationship, as by toggle links, in positions in which they engage the members of the other pair and lock them against their stops. With such a construction the two pairs of members are simultaneously locked in relation to each other in their open position.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of the essentially interacting parts of a frame according to the invention in extended position. Fig. 2 is a similar view of part of Fig. 1 showing parts in release position prior to complete collapsing of such frame. Fig. 3 is a, plan view corresponding to part of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a frame for embodiment in a perambulator. Fig. 5 is a side elevation illustrating the appearance of a perambulator embodying a frame as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a view of such perambulator when collapsed. Fig. 7 is an elevation and Fig. 8 a plan of a detail which may be employed to lock the perambulator handle bar in position.

Referring first to Fig. 4, I and 2 represent the pair of substantially U-shaped members intended to be turned into downwardly and outwardly inclined position from a pair of blocks 3, to form a base and 4 and 5 represent the other pair of members adapted to be turned apart in relation to the blocks 3, and locked thus by toggle links 6.

As will be more clearly seen from Fig. 1, the ends of the limbs of the U-shape members I, 2 and 4, 5 extend beyond their pivots l, and, when the frame is opened, the extended ends of the base members I, 2 abut against stops 8 0n the blocks 3 and are engaged and held against the stops by the extended ends of the members of the other pair 4, 5, rotatable about pivot 1 whereupon toggle links 9 connecting the members of this pair can be caused to look all the members in position.

. z v The body of a perambulator, cot, bath or other article is constituted by an open topped fiat b0- tomed bag Ill of flexible material attached to the transverse porti-ons I l of the upwardly extending 'pair of members 4, 5.

A perambulator may be provided with a, hood of flexible material attached in any usual way to the body at the rear top edge and supported by two U-shaped frames l2, l3 hinged together as at I4 and. one of which i2 is hinged as at l5 to the side limbs of the U-shaped frame 5; these frames 12, I3 move about their hinges in contact with the locked toggles 9, and catches or bosses are provided on one of the toggle links at each side of the perambulator, the frames :2, l3 of the hood riding over them in being raised and being engaged by them so as to be held in the half or fully opened up position of the hood. In the drawings one boss l6 (Fig. 5) only is shown, namely that required to hold the hood fully open.

The side blocks 3 each comprise a pair of plates as seen in Fig. 3 between which the pivotal rivets l and stop rivets 8 extend, the two complete blocks being tied together by a stay bar I! Fig. 4, extending beneath the body of the article and serving as a handle by which the collapsed article can be carried; the bar may be provided with a hand grip l8 rotatable on the bar.

In the case of a perambulator, wheels I9 Fig. 5, are mounted on journals carried by the base members I, 2 but such wheels are not necessary in the case Where a cot or bath body is provided.

To provide an elevated handle bar for a perambulator, one of the body supporting members (in the illustration the member 4) may be telescopically extensible, a catch or catches, releasable by thumb pressure, being provided for holding the handle bar in the extended position and, it may be, in the closed position. In Fig. 7 which is a view looking in the direction of the arrow :0 in Fig. 5 of the junction between one of the inclined limbs of frame 4 and the associated transverse portion H, the handle bar 20* which slides telescopically within the frame 4 is locked 'in extended position by a pin 2| carried by a spring clip 22. This pin snaps into a hole in the handle bar as shown in Fig. 8 but is retracted to release the handle bar by pressure upon the clip 22 applied to the free end in an inward direction.

What I claim is:

1 For incorporation in articles such as herein referred to, a collapsible frame comprising two pairs of members of substantially U-shape, a pair of side blocks, movement limiting stops in each side block, pivot pins in the blocks about which one pair of the U-shaped members can be angularly moved to abut against the stops, the second pair of U-shaped members being adapted to lock the first named pair of U-shaped members against such stops.

2. For incorporation in articles such as herein referred to, a collapsible frame comprising two pairs of members of substantially U-shape, a pair of side blocks one disposed opposite the other, pivot pins in each block about which the members of one pair of members are adapted to turn into downwardly and outwardly inclined positions, said members having free ends extending beyond the pivot pins, stops in the side blocks against which said extended free ends of the members abut when the members are thus downwardly and outwardly inclined, another pivot pin in each side block about which the members of the second pair of U-shaped members are adapted to be turned apart, said members having free ends extending beyond the pivot in each side block and adapted to engage the free ends of the first named pair of U-shaped members, and toggle links connecting the second pair of U- ROBERT LENTHAIL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 748,994 Southard Jan. 5, 1904 2,171,013 Stinson Aug. 29, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 186,986 Great Britain Oct. 6, 1922 463,827 Great Britain Apr. 7, 1937 

